


Drawn Up

by Joycee



Category: White Collar
Genre: Blackmail, Drug Addiction, Fluff and Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-28
Updated: 2015-11-28
Packaged: 2018-05-01 23:01:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5224295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joycee/pseuds/Joycee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Photographer Jason Lang forces Neal to steal priceless art to keep him from exposing forged documents proving that Peter has committed financial fraud.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Drawn Up

**Author's Note:**

> _Pis aller:_ French for the final recourse or expedient; the last resort.
> 
>    
>  **Spoiler for "Payback"**  
>  (S-2 E-14)

When Peter dropped Neal off after work, June met Neal at the door with a finger pressed to her lips and a sideways glance toward the stairs leading to Neal's apartment. Neal gave her a grateful nod and crept silently up the stairs.

When he turned the knob and opened the door, he saw a familiar dark haired heavy set man sitting at his table cutting a line of powder to snort. Neal made a little noise to startle him and called his name, "Jason Lang."

Lang jumped, accidentally scattering his line of powder. Neal looked pointedly at the packet of powder sitting on the table and asked, "What are you putting up your nose, Jason?"

He replied resentfully, "None of your business, Caffrey. You should be more careful about sneaking up on a person. If I still had a gun, I might have shot you."

Neal sighed, "Well, this is my apartment, after all. What are you doing here?"

Lang reconstructed his line and snorted it. He took a moment to register the high feeling; then explained, "I have a lucrative proposition for you, from one ex-con to another."

"Not interested," said Neal firmly.

"Well, that's not very open minded of you," complained Lang. "I was trying to be polite, but I think you'll change your mind when I tell you what I want."

"Okay then, what do you want?" asked Neal irritably. "I doubt if I'll change my answer."

"Oh, yes you will. You'll do anything to save your FBI pal Peter Burke, won't you?" Lang leered.

"You don't have Peter. I just saw him," protested Neal.

"I have something better," bragged Lang. "I have evidence proving he committed a crime, appropriately enough, a white collar crime."

Neal laughed, "That must be the drugs talking. I'm afraid you've got the wrong guy."

"You or him?" Lang wondered. "I definitely have the proof that Burke gave a false financial statement to obtain the mortgage on his nice home."

"Mortgage fraud?! You're seriously suggesting that Peter committed mortgage fraud?" Neal snickered.

"I told you I have proof, Caffrey," Lang insisted. "You won't be laughing once you take a look at these documents."

Lang pushed a sheaf of papers toward Neal. He added, "And of course, these are copies. The originals are in my safe deposit box at the bank."

Neal examined the papers curiously. Neal asked casually, "What did you have in mind, Jason? Maybe I'm willing to listen."

Jason smiled, enormously proud of himself, "I thought you would be. I need to get my hands on a few famous sketches that are currently at the Metropolitan museum."

Neal asked patiently, "What sketches are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about sketches by Leonardo Da Vinci from his notebooks. Only a few are on display, but I'm told they have more filed away in storage," explained Lang.

"What do you think you are going to do with them, even IF you could get your hands on them?" huffed Neal.

Lang stretched and gave Neal a secretive smile, "That's the part you don't have to know, Caffrey."

Neal exhaled, "Well it doesn't matter, because I'm not going to have anything to do with this anyway."

"Oh, but I think you are. Our friend Keller said to tell you _pis aller_ ," threatened Lang.

"Keller?! What does he have to do with this?" exclaimed Neal.

"He's the one who was responsible for making me take the rap for kidnapping Agent Burke and he's the one who got me out of prison. I just have to do this one thing for him," sighed Lang.

"You should know you can't trust Keller, Jason," warned Neal.

"I know, but what choice do I have?" asked Lang resignedly.

Neal leaned forward and pleaded, "Let me help you. I can help you get out of whatever trouble you think you're in."

Land shook his head, "No, it's too late. I'm a convicted kidnapper and forger, a failed professional photographer, and a meth addict. There's nothing you can do for me."

Neal pressed, "What do you think Keller can do for you?"

"He can get me lots of money and a chance to start over in Europe," Jason said dreamily.

"Jason, listen to me. This won't work," plead Neal. "You have better options."

"Nope," denied Jason. He picked up his bag of meth and stood up. "This is _pis aller_ for me, for Keller, for you and for Burke. I'll be in touch."

After Lang left, Neal examined the papers he left behind. They looked real enough, but they were copies and Jason Lang was an expert forger. What Neal had to do was get his hands on the original documents.

Not that Neal believed Peter was guilty of mortgage fraud, at least not intentionally. But could he have inadvertently overlooked some irregularities in the mortgage papers? Even if there was no truth to Lang's allegations, Neal knew they could make trouble for Peter and El until it was eventually straightened out.

Neal wondered if there was something he could do to stall Jason Lang and thwart Matthew Keller so Peter wouldn't have to be involved. 

He decided to go downstairs and thank June for giving him the warning about Lang and see if she had any helpful ideas. Neal grinned and wondered what Byron would have done.

June advised him, "Neal I think the best thing to do is to talk to Peter about it. There's probably nothing to worry about."

The following morning when Peter picked Neal up for work, Neal was subdued. Peter noticed and asked him what was wrong.

Neal asked casually, "Did you know Jason Lang got out of prison?"

Peter tensed and responded, "How do you know? Did you see him?"

Neal prevaricated, "Mozz heard he was in town. Apparently, he's a methamphetamine addict now."

"Doesn't surprise me," Peter admitted. "He was using back when we took him down. That's probably how Keller was able to manipulate him. Wonder if he's in touch with Keller now?"

Neal asked, "Peter, how long have you owned your home?"

Peter looked at him and wondered, "Where did that question from? Why do you want to know?"

"I was just wondering. Did everything go smoothly? Did you have any trouble with the financing or anything?" Neal pursued.

"No, there weren't any problems. Neal, what's this all about?"

"Nothing. I was just wondering. Guess I've been working on too many mortgage cases lately," smiled Neal.

Peter laughed, "Well, I can assure you I've never been involved in any mortgage fraud, so you don't have to worry about that."

"Of course not. I know that," placated Neal. "I was just thinking."

"Does this have anything to do with Jason Lang?" Peter questioned. "What's he up to now?"

"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about," Neal assured him. He certainly hoped there wasn't.

"You know, El is still upset over my kidnapping. I'd hate for her to know Lang's out of prison," Peter worried.

"No, there's no need for her to know," Neal concluded. He put the matter out of his mind for the time being. There was nothing he could do until Lang contacted him again. Maybe it was just a bluff.

That turned out to be wishful thinking since Lang was sitting in Neal's apartment again that afternoon. Mozzie was there with him, exuding suspicion.

Neal greeted them, "It's okay, Mozz. Jason and I are old acquaintances. We have a little business to discuss."

Mozzie reluctantly left, telling Neal, "I'll be back in a little while. I won't be far away so call me if you need me. Okay?"

"Okay, Mozz. See you later," said Neal casually. 

Lang asked Neal, "Did you think about what I said yesterday? Have you decided to do what I want?"

"I'm not sure exactly what you want me to do," Neal protested. "Some crazy idea about stealing some of Leonardo Da Vinci's drawings from the Met's storage vault? How do you imagine that I could do something like that even if I wanted to?" Neal demanded.

"I hear you're a very resourceful guy, Caffrey," Lang responded. "I'm sure you'll think of something."

Neal sighed, "Do you even know which specific drawings you want?"

"Oh yeah," Lang nodded. "The ones described in _The Da Vinci Code_ , the novel by Dan Brown.

Neal laughed, "The _Vitruvian Man_ diagram? The _Mona Lisa_ and _The Last Supper_? You're kidding, right? You don't believe any of that mystical stuff, do you?"

Lang growled angrily, "It doesn't matter what I believe. What matters is that you get them for me so I don't have to expose Agent Burke's fraudulent papers."

Neal reminded, "You do know that _The Last Supper_ and _Mona Lisa_ are paintings, right? And that they are not at the Met?"

Lang growled, "Of course, I know that, dickhead. Apparently he made some preliminary drawings. Those are in storage at the Met. I have a list of the works I want you to get for me."

"How do you imagine I can get them, Jason?" asked Neal curiously. "It's not like I can just waltz in there and take them. It's very difficult to get access to the storage facilities."

"Oh, I've heard you're very clever. If anyone can pull it off, you can," replied Lang.

"Is that what Keller told you?" Neal asked with contempt.

"Leave Keller out of this!" Lang insisted with a wild eyed look.

"You're afraid of him, aren't you? What does he have on you anyway?" Neal wondered.

"Again, none of your business. Now how soon can you get what I want?" Lang persisted.

"Never? You're not getting it. I can't do it and, even if I could, I'm not willing to," Neal repeated.

"Okay. I'm sorry you made that decision, Caffrey. It's Agent Burke who's going to suffer," Lang threatened.

"I'll take my chances," Neal dismissed him. "I'm not afraid of you or Keller."

When Neal told Mozzie about the bizarre conversation later, Mozzie was not as sanguine. He warned, "Keller can make plenty of trouble, Neal. You know that. And Lang is a meth addict. He might do anything. Did you ever consider that he might try to take the Suit again?"

"That's not what they threatened," protested Neal. "They have some idea they can make it look like Peter's guilty of some kind mortgage fraud, of all things. I'm sure that's just not true," Neal protested.

"So you're going to talk to Suit about it then?" Mozzie inquired.

"Yeah. I'll talk to him tomorrow. I'm sure he can provide all the bona fide documents that will prove what Lang has is fake," Neal agreed.

The next day was busy and Neal couldn't find a time to talk to Peter alone until they were on the way home. Peter appeared tense and Neal asked him if there was anything wrong on his mind.

Peter frowned, "Yeah. I'm up for performance review and that's always nerve wracking. They go back and comb through my paperwork for any little irregularity they can find. It always makes me anxious."

"Any reason you should be worried, Peter?" Neal asked casually. "Anything out there waiting to be discovered?"

"No, I don't think so. I just never feel like I can really be sure. There are always things that can come back to bite you," Peter sighed.

"Oh, well, I guess so," Neal admitted. "In my case, that's certainly true, but I always thought you were squeaky clean."

"Squeaky, huh?" Peter chuckled. "Well, it's nothing for you to worry about. I'm sure everything will be fine."

June noticed Neal coming in and called out to him, "Did you get everything straightened out with Peter?"

Neal sank down in a chair and confessed, "Not really. I've tried to bring it up a couple of times, but Peter has a lot on his mind right now. I'm afraid there really could be a problem with his mortgage documents, but even if there isn't, this would be a terrible time for any questions to come up. It could take a while just to prove he's innocent."

"You're not thinking of doing what they want you to, are you? Stealing drawings from the Met?" worried June.

"I don't know. I guess not. It's not the museum. It's their storage facility," Neal hedged.

June said sweetly, "Well, keep me informed, will you dear?"

Neal agreed and went upstairs deep in thought. He decided to see what he could find about the Da Vinci sketches and the Metropolitan's storage vault.

Neal knew that all of the museums in New York City had off site storage facilities with controlled environments where they kept art that they were not currently displaying and sometimes never intended to display. The location of these buildings were not publicly disclosed, but several were known to be located in high crime areas. They were protected by card swipe entrances and security cameras and guards inside the buildings.

Since 1992, the Met's facility had been a large six story windowless building on the Upper East Side. The only people with authorized access were local staff, curators, restorers, and some art scholars upon special request. Many modern works of art were kept in the facility, but there were also some Greek and Roman and Renaissance pieces. 

Among them apparently were some invaluable notebooks and unique drawings of Leonardo Da Vinci, the prolific Italian painter/sculptor/inventor from the late 1400s and early 1500s. He kept extensive notes of his studies and he used drawings to illustrate and record his various experiments and ideas for his paintings.

His most famous drawing was the _Vitruvian Man_ named for the artist who first developed the concept. It was a study in perfect symmetry of the human form and embodied many symbolic aspects, including some compatible with Freemasonry. Two of Da Vinci's best known paintings were the _Mona Lisa_ and _The Last Supper._

In his 2003 novel, _The Da Vinci Code,_ the author Dan Brown found evidence purporting to connect the Rennaissance artist to the _illuminati,_ a secret society of enlightened authors, artists, inventors, and craftsmen associated with the Freemasons. The story put forth a complex theory that Da Vinci's works carried a secret message regarding the true identity of Mary Magdalene and the meaning of The Holy Grail.

Neal still couldn't understand what Keller and Lang would want with Da Vinci's drawings, but he supposed it had something to do with Masonic theories and occult predictions. Neal was sure Mozzie would be able to shed more light on that angle.

After studying all the information he could find on the Met's storage facility, Neal figured his best way in would be to pose as an art expert or student. Neal tried to decide on an appropriate alias. He considered using his identity as Chris Gates, the Interpol art crimes investigator, but he realized that Agent Matthews from the FBI's DC Art Crimes office might get involved and recognize him.

He decided to pose as as Professor Georges Cousteau, a renowned scholar at an elite French university who specialized in high Renaissance art. He wore scholarly looking black framed glasses and clothes with the rumpled apparel of a scholar; he let his beard grow for a few days; and he spoke with a heavy French accent.

Neal wished he could use the resources of the FBI to create a back story for his alias, but he really didn't want to bring Peter into it. He called on Mozzie to assist him instead. Together they devised a cover story and Neal carefully forged official looking documents to back it up.

Neal communicated with the Museum to explain his need to access their storage facility in order to complete an important research project. He was granted permission and given credentials for a limited period of time.

On the day of his appointment, Neal showed up with Mozzie posing as his grad student assistant from France, who only spoke French. They managed to con the curator and security guard into allowing them both to enter.

Neal's cover story was that he was studying an Italian Renaissance sculptor so they would at least be in the right area of the facility. He didn't want to draw suspicion to himself when the Da Vinci drawings were found to be missing.

Neal settled in to begin his detailed uninteresting research project and before long the staff left him alone to do his work. Mozzie soon sneaked away to find the Da Vinci drawings and see if there was any additional security for them.

Mozzie reported back that he had located the notebooks with the drawings, and remarkably, there was no added security. Neal found an opportune moment to slip in and take the drawings he needed for Lang.

Neal worked all night to carefully sketch two sets of duplicates of the drawings, using authentic paper and ink obtained by Mozzie. When he was finished, he took the originals to June and asked if she could hide them temporarily in a secure place for him.

The following day, while Neal worked on his fake research paper, Mozzie was able to insert a set of duplicates into the Da Vinci files to substitute for the originals. Neal hoped Jason Lang would contact him again soon because his entire plan was dependent on a short timeframe.

When Lang asked if Neal had obtained the drawings, Neal told him that he had them but he wanted to see the originals of Peter's mortgage documents before he turned them over. Lang allowed Neal to see them but refused to turn them over to him. He did agree to give Neal the key to his safe deposit box as soon as Neal handed over the drawings.

Neal reluctantly gave him the second set of copies he had made. Lang gave him a smug smile and smirked, "Keller was right. That Federal Agent Burke is your weakness, Caffrey."

Neal smiled back and said, "I guess you're right. Now give me the key to the safe deposit box, Jason."

"You'll get it as soon as I give these to Keller and make sure he is satisfied," Lang assured him.

"Hey, that wasn't our agreement. You promised to give it to me when I gave you these drawings," Neal protested.

"Do you think I'm a complete fool? I'm not going to get caught in the middle if you pulled some kind of trick," Lang told him nervously.

"Twenty-four hours, or else I tell the museum exactly who has their property," Neal relented.

The next day, Neal as Professor Cousteau asked to be given access to the Da Vinci notebooks in the storage facility, claiming he needed them for his research. After spending a couple of hours examining them, he told the curator he believed a few of the drawings were forged copies rather than the originals.

The alarmed museum staff immediately called Agent Hughes in the White Collar section of the FBI and reported the discovery that some valuable drawings had apparently been stolen. Hughes delegated the case to Peter, instructing him to give it the highest priority. 

The following morning, Peter called his team together in the conference room and projected the copied sketches up on the screen. He told them that the museum wasn't sure when the theft occurred but it had just been discovered by a visiting professor from France.

Peter assigned Jones to gather more background information and announced that he and Neal would pay a visit to the storage building the next day. He asked Neal to come home with him that evening so they could discuss it further.

Peter offered him some wine and Neal teased, "Mmm, did you bring me here to wine and dine me?"

Peter replied, "Sure if you like gourmet pot roast. Neal, there's something weird about this case, don't you think? Why would someone go after those drawings in storage? How did they even know they were there?"

Neal shrugged, "You know those particular drawings are preliminary sketches for three famous Da Vinci works that were mentioned in the book _The Da Vinci Code._ "

"You think they have some superstitious meaning to the thief?" Peter wondered. "Do you think we are looking for someone associated with the Masons?"

"Or maybe just someone interested in their theories. I can ask Mozzie what he can find out," suggested Neal.

"Hmm, I'll have Diana check into that angle tomorrow, too. I will contact the museum to get us access to examine the storage location and interview their staff." Peter informed him.

The next morning the theft of the famous artist's drawings was front page news. Neal met with Jason Lang and he agreed to turn over the safe deposit box key to Neal. He explained, "I'm sure if the museum is reporting those drawings missing, the ones you stole and gave to me must be the originals."

When Jason left his meeting with Neal, Mozzie quietly followed him. A little later, Mozzie called Neal and left the message, "The eagle has landed." That was code to let Neal know that Mozzie had successfully tracked Jason to where he was staying.

Neal quickly went to the bank and retrieved the mortgage documents. Comparing them to the ones Jason had shown him before convinced him that the forged version contained a subtle change that would have indicated possible fraud. He tucked the documents into his suit pocket and returned to June's to retrieve the priceless original Da Vinci drawings.

Professor Cousteau and his French assistant paid their final visit to the museum's storage facility that afternoon. While Neal engaged the curator in conversation, effusively thanking her for allowing them access, Mozzie slipped two of the the original sketches back into their place and removed the forgeries.

The following day when Peter and Neal went to the museum to investigate, Neal had shaven off his beard and, in his immaculate Devore suit and fedora without the distinctive glasses and the French accent, he hoped the museum staff could not identify him as Professor Cousteau. He intended to keep his face turned away as much as possible.

When Peter questioned the museum staff, they mentioned that Professor Cousteau was the only visitor that had accessed that section of the facility and he was the one who had alerted them to the forgeries. Unfortunately, they believed that the professor had returned to France.

Peter asked to see copies of the professor's credentials and asked if they had a photo of him. The staff was surprised that the ID photo from the professor's file was missing. When asked for a description, the curator responded, "Um, medium height, medium weight, beard, and blue eyes, kind of like your consultant's, here. Oh, and he had an assistant, a short man who spoke only French."

Peter waited until they got outside to question Neal. He asked suspiciously, "Did you and Mozzie have anything to do this?"

Not wanting to lie outright to Peter, Neal evaded, "Why would you ask me that?"

"Okay, Neal, I want to know the truth," Peter said ominously.

Neal squirmed and answered quietly, "No, Peter, you really don't. Please just take me home tonight and I'll be able to tell you everything I know tomorrow. Just trust me for that long."

Peter reluctantly agreed. He dropped Neal off and Neal immediately retrieved Peter's mortgage documents and the drawing of Vitruvian man from June. He went directly to the FBI and left the drawing on Peter's desk and the documents in a desk drawer.

In the morning, the curator of the Met's Renaissance collection in storage called the FBI to say that she'd had the forged drawings rechecked by an expert and Professor Cousteau had apparently been wrong about two of them. The only forgery seemed to be the Vitruvian man.

Peter had just discovered what appeared to be that drawing on his desk and asked the curator if she would allow him to come by the following morning. Peter wanted to wait until he talked to Neal. 

Hughes beckoned for Peter to come to his office. He informed Peter that an anonymous phone call had just come in suggesting an address where their burgler could be found. As Peter called his team together to organize a raid, Neal strolled in to join them.

When they discovered that it was Jason Lang who was staying at that address, Neal asked Peter if he could wear a transmitter watch and go in to talk to Lang before he realized the FBI was there. Peter agreed and curiously listened in on the conversation.

Neal confronted Lang and told him, "If Mozzie could find you here, what makes you think the FBI couldn't? You should turn yourself in and give up what you know about Keller."

"The FBI can't prove anything. I've already given the drawings to Keller. They have no idea where he is and neither do you," Lang replied.

Neal let him know, "The drawings you gave him were fakes, Jason. How long do you think it will be before Keller realizes it? What will he do to you when he does?"

Lang pulled out a handgun and nervously pointed it at Neal. He threatened, "I'll shoot, Neal. You're not going to pin this on me. _Pis aller,_ my friend."

Neal quickly uttered his code phrase, "I don't think so." The FBI flooded the room with Peter in the lead. He instructed Jones to read Lang his rights and take him back to be interviewed.

Neal urged him, "Jason, you can still help yourself by confessing if you give up Keller."

Peter gave Neal a ride back. In the car, he asked, "Ready to tell me what this is all about now?"

Neal took a deep breath and said, "Peter, do you know the significance of Vitruvian man?"

"Something to do with symmetry in anatomy and architecture, wasn't it?" Peter responded.

"Yes, the idea that perfect symmetric human proportions guided the design of ancient temples," agreed Neal. "But others believe that the circle represents the soul or the spiritual world and the square represents the material world."

"But what does it have to do with the Mason's?" inquired Peter.

"Well, the ancient religious teachings of the Egyptians and the Chinese taught that God existed within man rather than being a separate entity or force. This heretical belief was picked up by the secular Freemasons and Da Vinci was believed to be part of that group called the _illuminati,_ Neal explained.

"OK, so what does that have to do with Jason Lang and Matthew Keller?" Peter persisted.

"I'm not sure. Some people say Vitruvian Man is the basis for the iconic Masonic compass symbol. See what you can get out of Lang when you question him," Neal answered.

Peter frowned, "How did you get involved in this, Neal?"

Neal confessed, "Keller and Lang had forged mortgage documents purporting to show you committed fraud in disclosing your assets when you bought your house."

Peter was confused. He protested, "But that's not true. The documents they had must have been forged."

"Exactly. They were, Peter. But they had the originals and they threatened to expose you with the forged papers unless I helped them get the Da Vinci drawings," Neal told him.

"Oh Neal, why didn't you just tell me? I could have put your mind at ease," Peter said impatiently.

"I was going to, but then you told me you were up for review and couldn't afford any paperwork errors in your file, so I thought I'd just take care of it for you," Neal said.

"By stealing priceless drawings from the Met's storage facility?" Peter asked incredulously.

"Well, more like borrowed them. I never intended to give the originals to Lang and Keller," Neal explained.

They arrived at the FBI building and Peter warned Neal, "This conversation is not over, but I have to interrogate Jason Lang right now. Don't go anywhere."

Neal nodded and accompanied Peter up the elevator. Lang was waiting dejectedly in a holding room. He looked like early signs of withdrawal from the methamphetamine were taking hold. Neal almost felt sorry for him.

He reminded Peter, "Don't forget that Keller was the mastermind of this scheme. He used Jason to do the dirty work by promising him a fresh start in life in Europe."

Peter nodded, "I'll keep that in mind, but he was the one who threatened to blackmail me, used you to steal from the museum, took possession of the stolen drawings, and pulled a gun on you."

Neal sighed, "But the only chance to get Keller is if Jason can tell you more about their plan and where Keller is hiding. The drawings Keller has now are fakes. You need Jason's testimony to get him."

"All right, Neal. I'll see what I can do. You go wait for me in my office," Peter instructed.

After two hours, Peter came out of the interrogation room with a grim expression on his face. Neal could see Jason Lang being led away looking severely shaken.

Peter told Neal, "Well, Lang confessed what he knew about Keller's plans, which had something to with compass points somewhere in France where there is supposed to be a priceless hidden treasure."

Neal asked, "But what about Keller? Did Jason know where he is?"

Peter said seriously, "Well, Lang was supposed to meet up with Keller at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris in a few days. We might get lucky and convince Interpol to try to catch him there."

Neal's eyes lit up as he exclaimed, "No! Peter, you and I should be the ones to be there for that meeting. Maybe we could even take Jason with us."

"To Paris?!" asked Peter incredulously. "Are you kidding?" Neal stared soberly back at him. Peter said flatly, "You're actually serious."

"Think about it. It's the only real chance of catching Keller. He'll smell a set up unless he sees Jason. He might not even be spooked by me being there. You can coordinate with Interpol to take him as soon we get him to incriminate himself in his entire plan," Neal pleaded. Peter wavered and Neal urged him, "Come on, Peter. _Pis aller!"_

Peter paused a little longer and then decided, "I'll ask Hughes about it, but Neal, don't get your hopes up."

Neal threw his arms around Peter's neck and kissed him on both cheeks, crying, _"Merci, merci, merci beaucoup_! You'll never regret this."

Peter laughed and said ruefully, "I'm already starting to regret it. Remember, I haven't gotten permission yet."

"But you will," Neal averred confidently. He was practically quivering with excitement, his blue eyes sparkling. "I don't suppose we could bring Mozzie, too?"

"Neal!" Peter growled menacingly. 

"I'm going, I'm going. _Au revoir,_ " Neal said merrily. "Just think, Peter. Paris!"

**Author's Note:**

> http://www.davincilife.com/vitruvianman.html  
> http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/geometry_masonry.html
> 
> https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-exhibition-reveals-da-vincis-invisible-drawings-180968129/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=socialmedia
> 
> White Collar characters were created by Jeff Eastin for the series on USA TV.


End file.
